Today society has come to appreciate the benefits of disposable items that make their daily tasks simpler and more enjoyable. Examples of such items include disposable eating utensils and paper plates. These disposable items are discarded or recycled after a single or limited use. Another common disposable item is drinking cups and/or general-purpose containers (which terms hereafter shall be interchangeably referred to as "containers" or "cups"). After a single use, the user discards the cup. These cups are often used at coffee machines, cafeterias and fast food restaurants.
One of the inherent problems with disposable containers is that they are often formed of multiple parts. For example, a drinking cup may be designed to cooperate with a tailored lid to prevent spilling and contamination of the liquid and to maintain the temperature of the liquid such as hot coffee or a cold beverage. Another problem is that a detachable lid requires the user or the shopkeeper to maintain a stock of cups and matching lids, wherein each different cup requires a different lid. This requires extra storage or display space, unecessary expense and organization. Another significant problem is that the user must fit the lid over the container. This often results in the spilling of the contents. In some instances, where the contents are very warm or have staining characteristics, this is particularly undesirable. In other instances, the placement of the lid over the container often deforms the lid, the cup or both and fails to serve its essential purpose of sealing the container.
In the prior art, self-sealing containers require assembly or have inherent non-symmetric characteristics. One such container is described in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,135,512. The device of this patent describes a dispenser having a combination of semicylindrical and flat walls attached to an integral flat lid hinged to its flat wall. The lid further employs means to hold and dispense medication. This lid extends in a downward slope to lock in a closed position between two ridges formed within the flat wall and creates an acute angle for retaining the medication within the container. This allows medical personnel to place the medication atop of the lid, which lid extends in a downward slope and retains the medication in the cavity formed by the lid and the wall. The cup and the medication are thereafter delivered to the patient without spilling its contents and without dropping the medication held atop of the lid. The patient then tilts the cup to his/her mouth to dispense the liquid therein and at the same time, through force of gravity, also delivers the medication to his/her mouth.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,358,175 describes a container formed of a foldable sheet material, which container requires assembly and interconnection of flaps and a tongue-slot combination. U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,528 discloses a self-locking and self-closing container creating a spring action pleated top. U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,306 discloses a container having a sealing top formed by a series of crease lines folding inwardly and forming a series of rectangles, each having a diagonal corner portion to form a closure panel. U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,766 describes a container having a gable end that includes sealing flaps that are heat sealed or bonded to one another. U.S. Pat. No. 3,768,720 describes a polygonal prism container erectable from a blank having a closable top comprising a plurality of interlocking flaps. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,091,291 and 3,549,081 describe a constructable, polygonal container having a series of interlocking flaps that cooperate to close the top and bottom openings of the container when folded about the formed seams and mutually interlocked. U.S. Pat. No. 3,905,539 discloses a container comprising a tube having a permanently sealed bottom end and tapering to a two dimensional sealable top end. U.S. Pat. No.4,712,725 describes a container for dispensing foods and storage of articles having a plurality of triangular sections foldable to define a substantially cylindrical container having a self-sealing top defined by a plurality of interlocked flaps. U.S. Pat. No. 3,617,311 discloses a sealed paper cup having a circular top portion extending to a bottom portion that is tapered to a point; for mixing a beverage consisting of water added to a resident dry concentrate.
The aforementioned devices of the prior art require assembly by the user and/or require interlocking of multiple flaps defined by their prearranged geometry and/or crease lines. The device of the present invention does not have these limitations. It consists of a symmetrical container having an integrated lid/spout (the terms "lid" and "spout" are used interchangeably throughout this specification) portion defined by a single crease in its wall. The lid doubles as an integral spout cooperative with the ridge of the device for maintaining a sealed position when biased under its rim. The device of the present invention is integral, assembly free and is easily and efficiently stored and stackable with its lid in the upright position. It provides single hand sealing operability and reliability for the convenience of its user.